Background
Monahan was born in Portumna, the son of Michael Monahan and his wife Mary Bloomfield.
Monahan was born in Portumna, the son of Michael Monahan and his wife Mary Bloomfield.
Trinity College.
He joined Gray"s Inn in 1826, and the King"s Inn in 1823. Monahan was called to the Bar in 1828 and became a Queen"s Counsel in 1840. He was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1846 and Attorney-General for Ireland in 1847, and briefly represented Galway in the House of Commons.
During this period he was principal counsel for the Crown in numerous State trials, including those of John Mitchel, Thomas Francis Meagher, Charles Gavan Duffy, and William Smith O"Brien.
As a lawyer, he was noted for his self-control even in times of acute crisis. In 1850, Monahan was appointed Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and held that office till 1873.
He had the reputation of being "a thoroughly learned lawyer" but also one who brought strong common-sense to bear on a problem. Even Lord Westbury, the English Lord Chancellor, who disliked him, said patronisingly that Monahan "does know his law".
Although he was impulsive and hot-tempered off the Bench, he was usually calm and controlled on it, and famed for his ability to "crush" counsel
Under stress according to one vivid description, he would "pace up and down the bench like a caged lion". In Ireland initially he failed, as the lady"s legal team convinced the jury that the marriage was valid (their verdict was reversed on appeal). Office the bench Monahan was a somewhat alarming personality: he was fierce in manner, impulsive, and give to peppering his conversation with swearwords.
Lord Westbury, while grudgingly admitting his legal ability, referred to him disparagingly as "that voluble Irish savage".
His many friends, however, insisted that his fierce manner concealed a genuine warmth of character.
14th United Kingdom Parliament.